Intelligent Bacteria - Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Intelligent Bacteria - Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Alcohol is a cultural contradiction in Indonesia. Religion suppresses public alcohol consumption while culturally alcohol has been traditionally developed by diverse ethnic cultures.

Intelligent Bacteria – Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an artistic research project, manifested in the form of an acoustic and performative installation that responds to the high number of poisonings and deaths of alcohol consumers in Indonesia. The unsterilised processing of alcohol, conducted by large sectors of the society, produces methanol that is unsafe to consume. Traditional and modern technology of fermentation needs an appropriate method to produce a safely consumable alcohol.

The project is a collaborative art and biotechnology work, using DIY and open source technologies intended to give the public an awareness of the local traditional culture of alcohol, and to distribute knowledge of safe alcohol fermentation process in order to produce alcoholic drinks with the richness of Indonesian tropical fruit in an affordable and safe way.